Spinning machines, and in particular to twisting frames



Feb. 28, 1967 J U 3,306,021

SPINNING MACHINES, AND IN PARTICULAR TO TWISTING FRAMES Filed Jan. 26,1966.

United States Patent 3,306,021 SPINNING MACHINES, AND IN PARTICULAR T0TWISTING FRAMES Jacques Diirler, Geneva, Switzerland, assignor toBrevets Aero-Mecaniques S.A., Geneva, Switzerland Filed Jan. 26, 1966,Ser. No. 523,058 Claims priority, application Luxembourg, Feb. 8, 1965,47,930/ 65 2 Claims. (Cl. 57-83) The present invention relates tospinning machines, and in particular to twisting frames, provided with athread breaking operated thread feed cut-01f device controlled by amember resiliently urged toward a disconnecting position for which saidcut-off device is operative but held, by the tension of the thread onits way toward the spinning spindle, in a connecting position for whichsaid cut otfdevice is kept inoperative, whereby a release of the tensionof the thread on its way toward the spinning spindle, due to a breakingof said thread, causes said control member to shift from its connectingto its disconnecting position, where the feed of thread toward thespindle is cut off.

The object of the present invention is to provide a spinning machine ofthis kind which is better adapted to meet the requirements of practice.

For this purpose, retractable locking means being provided formaintaining each of said control members in the connecting positionthereof, and all the locking means of the spinning machine being movableby means of a single operating part either into the active or into theinactive position thereof, the displacements of said operating part inthe direction for which said locking means are brought into inactiveposition against the action of resilient return means, are produced by asingle acting hydraulic receiver fed from a continuous flow hydraulicpump adapted to be started when the spinning machine is started and tobe stopped when said spinning machine is stopped, the variable volumechamber of said receiver being connected to the delivery of the pumpthrough conduit means including, in shunt with each other, a restrictedcross section passage and a check valve opening in the direction of flowof the liquid therethrough from said receiver toward said pump.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafterdescribed with reference to the appended drawings, given merely by wayof example, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view with parts cut away of a portion of aspinning machine made according to the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the hydraulic circuit for controllingthe locking means of the machine.

The machine according to the invention comprises a plurality of spindles1 (only one of which is shown) supported by the frame of the spinningmachine and fed with threads 2 by a device comprising an unwindingcylinder 3 journalled in the machine frame and suitably driven, saidcylinder 3 being common to all the spindles 1, and presser rollers 4(one for every spindle) adapted to bear against cylinder 3 so as tocooperate therewith in feeding the thread 2 toward the correspondingspindle 1.

The machine further comprises, for every spindle, a thread breakingoperated thread feed cut-off device capable of moving presser roller 4away from cylinder 3, thus cutting off the feed of thread 2 to spindle 1when control lever 5 (for instance journalled to the machine frame),normally supported by thread 2, shifts from its connecting positionillustrated by FIG. 1 as a result of the fact that said thread 2 is nolonger tensioned, this lever 5 then pivoting under the action of gravityin the direction of the arrow. This movement of lever 5 causes, throughtransmission device D, presser roller 4 to move away "ice from drivingcylinder 3. On the drawing, transmission device D has beendiagrammatically shown because there are many forms of such transmissiondevices known in the art.

In order to keep lever 5 in the connecting position illustrated by FIG.1 when the spinning machine is stopped (this being necessary to obtainoperation of the thread feed device as soon as the machine is started)there is provided, for every spinning spindle 1, a locking finger 6adapted to come into position under lever 5 in connecting position.Locking fingers 6 are all carried by a common operating rod 7 so thatretraction of said locking fingers is obtained by an axial displacementof said operating rod 7.

According to the invention, axial displacement of operating rod 7 in thedirection corresponding to the unlocking of levers 5 and against theaction of vetum means consisting for instance of a spring 8 is obtainedthrough a single acting hydraulic receiver 9 fed from a continuous flowpump 10 adapted to be started when the spinning machine is started andto be stopped when said spinning machine is stopped. In other words pump10 is operated at the same time as the main motor of the spinningmachine (which main motor drives, in particular, the spindles and thethread delivery device) but the rotor of pump 10 is autonomous withrespect to said main motor. The variable volume chamber 9a of receiver 9is connected to the delivery conduit 10a of pump 10 through conduitmeans including, in shunt, a calibrated passage 11 of relatively smallflow cross section and a check valve 12 preferably having a flow sectiongreater than that of calibrated passage 11, said check valve 12permitting the circulation of liquid only from variable volume chamber9a toward conduit 10a. Calibrated passage 11 and check valve 12 arelocated in a casing 13.

Advantageously the return spring 8 acting upon operating rod 7 islocated inside the casing of hydraulic receiver 9, said spring bearingagainst the piston 9b of receiver 9.

On the other hand, pump 10 is advantageously driven by a motorincoporated therein.

This device works as follows:

When the spinning machine is started, pump 10 is also started, and thedelivery pressure thereof slowly moves piston 91) against the action ofspring 8. The slow movement of said piston 9b is due to the fact thatall the liquid fed to chamber 9a must flow through calibrated passage11. The displacement of operating rod 7 in the direction correspondingto the release of levers 5 is therefore slow, so that when this releasehas become effective, the spinning machine has already reached itsnormal working conditions. This is necessary in order that levers 5 maybe kept in connecting position by the tension of the correspondingthread 2, which tension is obtained only when the machine is undernormal working conditions. On the contrary, when the machine is stopped,the rotor of motor-pump 10 (the inertia of which is much lower than thatof the movable elements of the machine driven by the main motor) stopsmuch before the machine is stopped whereby spring 8 causes the variablevolume chamber 9a of receiver 9 to be quickly emptied owing to the fastflow of the transmission liquid both through calibrated passage 11 andthrough check valve 12. Thus, under the action of return spring 8,locking finger 6 will be brought back into active position with respectto the corresponding levers 5 much before the spinning machine hasstopped, which is a necessary condition because when the machine isstopped threads 2 are no longer tensioned and could not support levers5.

The means for controlling the locking fingers are both automatic andvery simple due to the fact in particular that motor pump 10 is alreadyincluded in the machine for performing other functions.

In a general manner, while the above description discloses what isdeemed to be a practical and efficient embodiment of the presentinvention, said invention is not limited thereto as there might bechanges made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the partswithout departing from the principle of the present invention ascomprehended within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a spinning machine, the combination of a spindle,

means for feeding thread to said spindle, said thread feeding meansbeing capable of occupying either of two positions, to wit an operativeone and an inoperative one,

a movable control member operatively connected with said thread feedingmeans, said control member being constantly urged toward a disconnectingposition where it makes said thread feeding means inoperative, saidcontrol member being arranged to be held by the thread on its way tosaid spindle in a connecting position where it holds said thread feedingmeans in operative position as long as the thread is being supplied bysaid feeding means to said spindle,

a retractable locking finger for maintaining said control member in saidconnecting position,

a continuous flow hydraulic pump adapted to be started when saidspinning machine is started and to be stopped when said spinning machineis stopped,

single acting hydraulic receiver including a variable volume chamber anda movable part responsive to the variations of volume of said chamberand operatively connected with said finger for retracting it fromengagement with said control member in response to increase of thevolume of said chamber and bring said finger into engagement with saidcontrol member in response to a reduction of the volume of said chamber,

resilient means for constantly tending-to reduce the volume of saidchamber and to urge said finger toward engagement with said controlmember,

and conduit means for connecting said pump with said receiver variablevolume chamber, said conduit means including, in shunt with each other,a restricted cross section passage and a check valve opening in thedirection of flow of the liquid therethrough from said receiver towardsaid pump.

2. A spinning machine according to claim 1 wherein the section of flowthrough said check valve is considerably greater than the section offlow through said pas- FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

D. E. WATKINS, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A SPINNING MACHINE, THE COMBINATION OF A SPINDLE, MEANS FORFEEDING THREAD TO SAID SPINDLE, SAID THREAD FEEDING MEANS BEING CAPABLEOF OCCUPYING EITHER OF TWO POSITIONS, TO WIT AN OPERATIVE ONE AND ANINOPERATIVE ONE, A MOVABLE CONTROL MEMBER OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITHSAID THREAD FEEDING MEANS, SAID CONTROL MEMBER BEING CONSTANTLY URGEDTOWARD A DISCONNECTING POSITION WHERE IT MAKES SAID THREAD FEEDING MEANSINOPERATIVE, SAID CONTROL MEMBER BEING ARRANGED TO BE HELD BY THE THREADON ITS WAY TO SAID SPINDLE IN A CONNECTING POSITION WHERE IT HOLDS SAIDTHREAD FEEDING MEANS IN OPERATIVE POSITION AS LONG AS THE THREAD ISBEING SUPPLIED BY SAID FEEDING MEANS TO SAID SPINDLE, A RETRACTABLELOCKING FINGER FOR MAINTAINING SAID CONTROL MEMBER IN SAID CONNECTINGPOSITION, A CONTINUOUS FLOW HYDRAULIC PUMP ADAPTED TO BE STARTED WHENSAID SPINNING MACHINE IS STARTED AND TO BE STOPPED WHEN SAID SPINNINGMACHINE IS STOPPED, A SINGLE ACTING HYDRAULIC RECEIVER INCLUDING AVARIABLE VOLUME CHAMBER AND A MOVABLE PART RESPONSIVE TO THE VARIATIONSOF VOLUME OF SAID CHAMBER AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID FINGER FORRETRACTING IT FROM ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CONTROL MEMBER IN RESPONSE TOINCREASE OF THE VOLUME OF SAID CHAMBER AND BRING SAID FINGER INTOENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CONTROL MEMBER IN RESPONSE TO A REDUCTION OF THEVOLUME OF SAID CHAMBER,